The members of Stockton's Bump City ReUnion Band truly admire the music of Oakland's Tower of Power.

They've spent five years, though, gradually separating themselves from being a purely "tribute" band.

"We've evolved," said saxophone player Billy Sims, whose 10-member Stockton band now performs tunes by Sly & the Family Stone, Lydia Pense & Cold Blood, James Brown and others. "We've got a nice list of songs, and we're writing some of our own."

Maybe that's what representatives of the Sacramento Music Festival & Jubilee noticed in 2013.

For five years, Sims and Matt Martinez lobbied to play at the 40-year-old event, whose directors have been undergoing a different transformation - from pure Dixieland jazz to a vastly more inclusive stylistic palette.

"Actually, we're very excited," said Martinez, whose group plays Sunday in Old Sacramento. "We're just looking forward to being part of it. They said 'We really like what you do.' They had to have us at their festival. We said, 'We've been sending you stuff for years.' "

Bump City ReUnion was performing at Swabbie's on the River last year when the bar's owner got the group an invitation to play at West Sacramento's Trucktober.

"Two weeks later, we get a call (asking) if we wanted to play," Sims said. "You know what the answer was. It seems when you least expect something to happen, something will happen. You do have to do the work, be on top of your game and put your best things our there."

That why Lodi's James Garner and his Johnny Cash tribute are returning, performing at 8 p.m. Saturday at Old Sacramento's Freeway Gardens, one of six venues where 100 acts play during the four-day festival.

Sims, 61, and Martinez, 60, have worked at this horn-driven music thing for a long time.

"Since it's gotten more diverse, it reminds me of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival," Sims said. "Our music is very diverse. I'm really glad it's happened."

At the start, Ramirez, a Tracy native and Franklin High School graduate, and Sims, an Edison High grad born in Stockton, had Tower of Power's imprimatur. Mic Gillette, an original TOP horn player (1968), helped them learn the original arrangements. Bump City is named after TOP's second album (1972).

Sunday's show is just the second of 2014. Ramirez and Sims helped Gillette record his new CD ("Moon Doggy").

The ReUnion members have three original songs completed and "four or five" in the mix, Martinez said.

Martinez, who grew up listening to his dad's Louis Armstrong, Al Hirt and Herb Alpert records, started playing trumpet in fourth grade. He formed his first band (Fat City) at 17. His many affiliations led to his being named to the Bay Area Blues Hall of Fame in 2007.

"It's just exciting. It keeps me young," said Martinez, a communications-and-security consultant for businesses who has five children, seven grandchildren and has been married to Betsy, who works in daycare, for 31 years. "Any kind of beat that can get you up and dancing. The stuff that gets people moving and squirming in their seats. I like to see the smiles that bring joy to people."

Sims started on clarinet at 10 before switching to an uncle's trombone. His dad, Edward "Trapper" Sims, played saxophone. Mom Cordie was an educator.

Sly & the Family Stone's "Dance to the Music" (1968) was "my Beatles moment." A football and baseball player, Sims also learned clarinet and piano.

An athlete at San Joaquin Delta College and California State University Hayward - studying music and political science - he attended University of San Francisco and played in East Bay garage bands.

He and Barker are in Cheap Date, an R&B-soul band that performs each month at Lodi's Rusted Mic. Their own "Rock Your Body" is available on iTunes.

"It's all about teamwork," Sims said. "A lot like sports. The synergy. When all 11 get together, you can't beat the feeling. It's the same as football and baseball. I really look forward to it. It's a great fellowship."

Contact Tony Sauro at (209) 546-8267 or tsauro@recordnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsaurorecord.